Anthonis Welsch, an Anabaptist martyr, journeyed from Germany to Italy with Franciscus van der Sach to visit a group of believers there. On the return trip they were apprehended at Capo d'Istria, about 100 miles (160 km) from Venice, where they were initially examined and then taken by sea to Venice, arriving there on 1 September 1562. Here they remained in prison two years, during which time they were frequently examined. Remaining steadfast in the faith, they were both condemned to death in 1564 and drowned in the sea at Venice.

Braght, Thieleman J. van. The Bloody Theatre or Martyrs' Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only upon Confession of Faith and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus Their Saviour . . . to the Year A.D. 1660. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1951: 664. Available online at: http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/index.htm.